Holy Cross Mission

CONFESSIONS

1st Sunday of the Month 3:15 to 3:45pm

Directions

Holy Cross is located at 83 Seaside Road, St Helena Island, SC. From Saint Peter’s, drive down Sea Island Drive towards Fripp Island. When you see Seaside Bar & Grill, turn right down Seaside Road. After a minute, Holy Cross will be on your left.

A History of Holy Cross Mission

In 1968, Fr. Edward J. Tuohy, assistant to Fr. Henry Burke at St. Peter’s Church, was instrumental in establishing a “Mission Station” on St. Helena Island. These two zealous priests envisioned the dual concept of a “Mission Station” for providing Sunday Masses and an “Apostolic Mission” to bring a Catholic presence to the citizens of St. Helena Island. The first location of the mission station was a rented store on Hwy. 21, which was owned by a Mr. Kinard. Parishioners George and Dorothy Klecak spent countless hours renovating, painting and decorating the building transforming it into a place of worship. The Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine accepted the invitation to staff the apostolic mission to the poor and continued in this ministry for many years. The well loved Sisters Thecla and Veronica traveled regularly from Beaufort to St. Helena Island to offer programs that would serve the needs of the people and help create an interest in the Catholic faith.

After six months at the first location, Holy Cross moved to a rented gas station on Hwy. 21 (the current location of the St. Helena Fire Dept.). Mass was celebrated here for the few families living in the area, vacationers and for a growing Catholic population on Fripp and Harbor Islands. By this time there were four sisters overseeing a fully developed after school program three days a week. Two years later, Holy Cross was moved to the “Soul Palace” on Hwy. 21, an establishment provided rent-free by its owner, Mrs. Mungin. Before long, Bishop Ernest Unterkoefler accepted Holy Cross Mission as a joint project of both the Diocese of Charleston and St. Peter’s Church. The diocese assumed full responsibility for the outreach ministry, which continues today at the Franciscan Center.

In 1972, Fr. Albert Faase became pastor of Si. Peter’s and realized the need to build a church structure. He purchased the present property on St. Helena Island and with a $20,000 donation from Mr. & Mrs. AlTed New, matching funds from the diocese, St. Peter’s savings, a grant from the Catholic Extension Society, and a loan, was able to construct a multi-purpose building in 1978 for $73,500. When Fr. Ronald R. Cellini became the pastor of St. Peter’s – Holy Cross in 1996, he quickly bonded with the friendly mission community and encouraged its growth. Mass at Holy Cross became an experience many lovingly refer to as “the happy hour.” What a wonderful descriptor for Mass. The small welcoming, joyful, faith-filled community at Holy Cross attracted so many regular worshipers that it outgrew the original facility, which was built to onlv accommodate 150 people. In response to the Synod of Charleston, a long range planning committee was formed in 1997, and one of its many recommendations was that Holy Cross be expanded to allow for growth. The fundraising program for the comprehensive building plan of both parish and mission was entitled “Upon this Rock.” The tremendous response from the people of Holy Cross not only funded the mission project but also assisted in supporting the efforts of the entire parish.

The present expansion was designed by Montgomery Architect and Planning and built by Joco Construction. The facility now accommodates 294 and will serve our needs well. This attractive facility, in addition to being a place of worship, will house days of recollection, meetings, youth gatherings, adult education, and socials. Holy Cross parishioners are to be credited for the many fine finishing touches and beautiful art work within the building. With the blessing of our mission by Bishop Robert J. Baker on the Vigil of the Solemnity of Christ the King 2003, we the parishioners of Holy Cross rededicate ourselves to celebrating, living and sharing our Cathollc faith with the people of our beautiful sea island communities.

When the pandemic began, like most churches and public buildings, HCM closed. During this almost 2 year period, the maintenance staff took the opportunity to make many much needed and desired improvements. These included new pews to replace the folding chairs with kneelers; the renovation of the small rooms at the entrance and the creation of a hospitality room and kitchen; updated HVAC systems; a new ceiling and fixtures; and many other improvements inside and outside the building.

In preparation for reopening, we formed a committee of regulars who would lead the effort to welcome back the parishioners and maintain the building and programs. This group of 15 along with the support of the parish staff, meets on a monthly basis to keep the building in good shape, provide the personnell for the various ministries, and promote the activities throughout the year. There is also a separate team of volunteers who look after the landscaping and grounds.

When we reopened, father Andrew challenged us to “gather the flock” and welcome back our parishioners, and all those who had not yet come back to attending Mass. with this in mind, our committee came up with the idea of hosting at least one quarterly social event connected to Holy Cross. This included a Valentines reception in February, a Christmas caroling and bonfire after mass in December, a golf outing and cookout on Fripp Island in the spring; and a summer cookout with live music after mass on the church grounds. These events, and others, continue to be popular year after year.

In addition, we decided to host an after mass reception each Sunday, whereby the committee members, and other regular parishioners’ take turns hosting each week. These have become very popular and a nice way for those at Mass to stay after for a few minutes of conversation and the opportunity to meet fellow parishioners. Snacks, hors d’oerves, and beverages are served for about an hour after Mass.

Holy Cross has a weekly mass at 4pm each Sunday. Attendance has averaged about 100 in a sanctuary that will hold about 250. In addition, there are sometimes funeral services and special meetings and/or other church related events. The parishioners are made up of those who live nearby and attend on a regular basis; people who are vacationing in the area, or staying with family and/or friends; and other St Peters parishioners who may have missed one of the Saturday or Sunday Masses at the main church, and come to Holy Cross which is the last mass of the weekend. Some call this the “default mass”!